Gasoline Costs Hit Families' Finances

By

Tennille Tracy

Updated Feb. 4, 2013 7:09 p.m. ET

Gasoline prices took a big bite out of Americans' pocketbooks in 2012.

The average U.S. household paid an estimated $2,912 for gasoline last year, sucking up nearly 4% of the average household income before taxes, according to government data out Monday. That is the highest percentage in three decades, with the exception of 2008, when the rate was nearly identical.